March Paper Delivery
by Magical Girl Pretty Sammy-Chan
Summary: (Same AU as December AirSequel) Yahiko, the young paper boy, is given a new house on his route. What will happen when a pretty young girl asks him to make her a certain promise? YxTs R&R!
1. March Paper Delivery

Author's Notes: Well, here we are, with the sequel to "December Air". A stand-alone story in the same AU that stars our next spot light couple, Tsubame and Yahiko.

I hope you'll all enjoy this one as much as you enjoyed December Air (don't worry, a short sequel will be coming out for that story as well.)

The Ages for this Story:

Yahiko: 12

Tsubame: 12

Kaoru: 18

Misao: 18

Kenshin: 22

Aoshi: 22

Sano: 20

Megumi: 20

* * *

March Paper Delivery

"Yahiko, don't forget, there's a new house added to your route today!"

"I won't, I won't…man…Tae can be a slave driver." Yahiko Myojin, a young boy about twelve years old made his way over to a rickety old green bicycle with a bright, shiny, metal basket that seemed to be a new addition to the aged piece of equipment. With a bundle full of newspapers in his right arm, he used his sneakered foot to kick back the kick stand and hop onto the bike. Placing the newspapers delicately in the basket and placing a green baseball cap on his head, he placed his foot on the pedal and pushed forward, gaining enough momentum to put his other foot on the adjacent pedal. He moved forward rapidly as he gracefully rode out of the newspaper company building and onto the road, keeping close to the gutters, still shining with rain from the night before. Trickles of water splashed on his faded tires, slightly wetting his black pants.

As he passed a house, he threw the paper directly onto the porch. An old woman came out and smiled at him, "Thank you very much Yahiko-kun."

"No problem," he gruffly smiled, "Just doing my duty." With that, he sped off faster then before, the encouragement and thanks fueling him to keep going.

"Hmm…now…where's that new house?" Yahiko wondered out loud, checking a map that was attached to one of the handles on the bicycle. "I wouldn't want to miss it, or Tae will have my head on a silver platter."

Yahiko looked over the map, his eyes shifting around until he saw the red felt tip pen mark, "Ah! There it is! Tsuruoka Street, huh? That's pretty far north…I'll go there last, it makes more sense that way."

* * *

"Yahiko! You're late!" Yahiko was promptly scolded as he tried to furtively scoot the newspaper under the wooden door of the college dorm that he was visiting. But it was to no avail as the door slammed open as a corner of the paper slipped under. "Seriously! That's the fifth time in two weeks, am I going to have to report this to Tae!"

"Shut up Ugly! I got more important things to do then to deliver your paper!" Yahiko gruffly said to the woman now standing in the doorway, veins bulging. She was Kaoru Kamiya, the tenant of the dorm.

"Ugly! How dare you!" she growled, pulling Yahiko's cheeks. "I happen to be considered a beauty around here!"

"Arrgghh…Misao, help me!" Yahiko called, and his pleas were answered as the bubbly Misao Makimachi, Kaoru's roommate and college peer, came to the door, chewing lightly on rice crackers.

"Ahh Kaoru, be nice," Misao waved her hand going back into the room. "You don't want Yahiko to tell you-know-who that you don't want chocolate for White Day, do you?"

"That's right Ugly! If you don't want me to go and tell Kenshin that you'd rather he just leave you alone, you'd better be nice to meright?" He sneered, and Kaoru fumed.

"Fine, fine, I get your point, come in!" she huffed and stepped back from the door frame. Yahiko let himself in, not bothering to close the door behind him. Kaoru looked at him, annoyed, and shut the door herself. "What's up Yahiko? You seem slightly off..."

"I'm a little put out…" Yahiko sniffed, "I've got a new house to deliver to, and it's WAY up north! It'll take me at least a half an hour to get there! There goes extra video game time. All for an extra buck."

"Hey, you never know, it might be fun," Misao suggested, still chewing on the last of the crackers, "Maybe there's a cute girl there!"

"As if!" Yahiko snapped. "All I ever do is deliver papers to old people!"

"Do _we_ classify as old people?" Kaoru and Misao asked together, eyes narrowed in a menacing way. Yahiko, sensing danger, quickly covered.

"Umm…I mean…old people and two lovely ladies!" he laughed and the two of them beamed.

"Now that's more like it!" Misao nodded.

"I agree," Kaoru smiled. "But hey Yahiko, you do never know, you might make a new friend."

"Whatever, I'm already late for the next house," Yahiko quickly grabbed his hat that he had left on the table and made his way for the door. But he didn't make it far as the door opened quickly, smashing him against the wall.

"Hello Kaoru-dono, Misao-dono, how are you?" It was Kenshin, smiling widely, completely oblivious to the fact that he was smushing Yahiko against the wall. Kaoru and Misao sweatdropped.

"Umm…Kenshin…" Kaoru pointed to the door, and Kenshin looked over to see the flattened Yahiko.

"Oh! I'm sorry Yahiko, I didn't see you there!" Kenshin closed the door, letting Yahiko breathe for a second as he came out from the door. "How are you as well?"

"Great, until you came in," Yahiko coughed. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"Just visiting," Kenshin smiled, "Sano and Megumi should be here soon as well. We're all thinking about having a party for White Day."

"Oh…that sounds great," Misao drooled. "Will Lord Aoshi be there? I wonder if he'll get me anything for White Day…I've really wanted those earrings…"

"Are you still obsessing over him Misao?" Yahiko asked incredulously.

"I'M NOT OBSESSING!" Misao growled, "Come back here you little brat!" She began to chase Yahiko around the room, Kaoru and Kenshin both laughing.

"Hey, are we missing anything?" The door opened once more, this time Sanosuke coming through with less of a dramatic entrance then Kenshin had. Megumi followed him, flipping her hair.

"Oh not much," Kaoru smiled, "Just Yahiko and Misao in a tiff again."

"Well, if the weasel girl and little Yahiko are done…" Sano spoke softly, sniggering.

"DON'T CALL ME A WEASEL!"

"DON'T CALL ME LITTLE!"

"ACK! Kenshin, help, they're gonna kill me!" Sano writhed as both Yahiko and Misao jumped upon him, trying to tear him limb from limb.

"Ken-san, they really are such children," Megumi smirked, "Maybe we should go someplace else and have a little "adult" time?"

"Uhhh…"

"MEGUMI!" Kaoru screamed, "Get away from Kenshin!"

"Tanuki Girl is getting defensive I see!"

"I-I am not!"

"Oro! Let's both calm down now ladies!"

"You're all pathetic," Yahiko commented, getting up from killing Sano. "Seriously, you're supposed to be the adults around here!"

"Oh, seems Little Yahiko wants to be a grown up huh?" Sano asked, doing his best to stand up.

"I've got work to do, unlike you lazy college students," Yahiko held his head high and walked briskly out of the dorm, leaving his wacky friends behind.

* * *

"All right…I think that's it," Yahiko smiled, wiping his brow as he threw another paper on a door step. "Oh…I forgot…" he gave a dejected sigh, "I have to go to that new house, don't I? Oh well, I've got to keep going."

Yahiko rode on, not letting his tired legs get the better of him. He had always been a proud boy, acting strong, adult like, and especially stubborn. He had never let anyone call him a "kid" and since he lived with Tae at her apartment, he was practically an orphan. His parents died when he was only five, his father in a plane crash when he was working for the Japanese Defense Air Force, and his mother of cancer. Or at least that's what the doctors had said. Yahiko thought she died of a broken heart.

"Finally!" Yahiko panted and stopped himself with his foot as he reached a wide round ended street with only four or five houses on it. He looked around, then looked at the label of the paper. "5901 huh…?" His head swerved around until he saw the bright yellow house with the numbers on it. "That's the one!" Yahiko smiled and walked up, deciding to deliver the paper as personally as possible.

He dropped it on the welcome mat and began to turn around, until he jumped as he heard the door creak behind him. "Oh…I'm sorry, did I scare you?"

Yahiko turned around to see the speaker of the apology. She was a girl about his age, with brown short hair and brown eyes. Wearing a pink skirt and blouse, she blinked a few times. "Ar-are you the paper boy?"

"Uhh…yeah…I'm Yah"

"Oh, I'm sorry, let me get you your tip!" the girl ran back into the house, not bothering to stay for Yahiko's introduction. A few seconds later, she returned with a wallet in her hands. She fumbled through it, obviously not knowing where the money was kept, and finally took out 100 yen in coins. "Here, I'm sorry it took so long."

"Oh…you don't have to give me a tip!" Yahiko insisted, "I get paid for just coming here!"

"B-but our house is so far away from the company," the girl told him, soft-spoken. "It really must have been such a trouble for you."

"Ah, that's not true at all!" Yahiko told her, putting on a smile. "It's my pleasure, really."

"Oh…thanks…" the girl smiled at him, blushing slightly in the cheeks. "I'm Tsubame, what's your name?"

"Uhh…Yahiko Myojin," he introduced himself.

"Oh, hello, little Yahiko."

"EURK!" Yahiko sweatdropped, "I'm not a little kid…I'm twelve years old."

"Eeks!" she furrowed her brow, "I'm sorry, I didn't know you were my age."

"Y-your age?" Yahiko asked. "You're twelve too? What school do you go to?"

"Umm…well, I just moved here," she explained. "So I don't go to any school yet, but I'm enrolled at Tsubasa Private Girl's School."

"Oh…" Yahiko said, slightly disappointed. "I don't go there."

"Well, of course you don't silly, it's an all girls school!" Yahiko blushed at the stupidity that he had displayed as Tsubame giggled at him.

"I-I should get going," Yahiko blushed, and turned around.

"Do-do you have other houses to go to?" Tsubame asked him, and he turned around once more to face her.

"Umm…no, I went to yours last, because it's far and all."

"I…I…" Tsubame blushed, and stopped speaking for a moment, then regained her courage. "Do you think you could talk with me for a bit? I don't know anything about this place, and I don't have any friends…"

"S-sure!" Yahiko smiled, "I'd love to."

Yahiko had to admit, Tsubame was really cute. With pretty eyes, pretty hair, and that shy personality, she was a real find in Yahiko's eyes. 'What an idiot…' Yahiko told himself, 'She's probably already got a boyfriend after all.'

"I came here from Kobe," she told him, rocking back and forth as they sat on her front porch. "At first, I didn't want to leave."

"Why not?"

"Because I had friends…" Tsubame told him, "And I was really popular at my old school, I was student body president."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure you'll be just as popular!" Yahiko assured her, "You're so nice after all!"

"You're sweet," Tsubame smiled, "What about you Yahiko? Where do you go to school?"

"Oh…umm…Takakano," Yahiko told her, pointing over his shoulder. "It's farther west, co-ed."

"So I bet you have a girlfriend, right?" Tsubame giggled, blushing at her daring remark.

"N-n-n-no way!" Yahiko tried to laugh, "Me? Girlfriend? No way!"

"Hey Yahiko?" Tsubame asked and Yahiko turned to look at her. "I don't have a boyfriend either."

"Huh?" Yahiko asked, slightly confused at the remark. He quickly changed the subject, blushing lightly. "Ahh, you're so nice and all, I bet you'll be really popular. Hey, White Day's coming up, do you want me to deliver all your gifts?" He chuckled.

"I…I probably won't get any," Tsubame smiled, her eyebrows furrowed. Yahiko sensed that she was hurt. "I'm new and all…and…"

"But I'm sure that all the boys in Kobe will send you gifts," Yahiko told her, trying to lighten her mood.

"I don't think so…" Yahiko looked up and saw that a few tears were collecting in Tsubame's eyes.

"Tsubame…"

"I had a crush on a boy in Kobe…" she said, "But I never told him how I felt. I didn't think he loved me anyway. He probably didn't even like me."

"Hey!" Tsubame looked up, her tears still collecting in her eyes as she saw Yahiko standing above her, eyebrows furrowed in anger, "Don't you dare start putting yourself down, you got that! If he didn't like you that's his problem, got that?"

Tsubame remained silent as Yahiko went on, but after a bit, a smile started to appear on her face.

"Now I don't want to ever hear any of that crap from you again, got it?" Yahiko commanded and Tsubame nodded, giggling.

"You bet…" she smiled warmly and Yahiko returned the smile.

"Well, my work here is done, I'm going to get going," Yahiko smiled and started to walk towards his bike.

"Ya-Yahiko!" Yahiko stopped as Tsubame called his name. He turned around to see her smiling at him. "Yahiko…promise…promise me that you'll come to my house last every Saturday so we can talk…okay?"

"Tsubame…?"

"If…if you break your promise…I'll never forgive you…" Tsubame told him, "I…I really need a friend."

Yahiko smiled and then tipped his baseball cap to her, "Anything you say Tsubame! I'll come over every Saturday until the end!"

"End…of what?" Tsubame asked curiously.

"One year." Yahiko lifted his finger to show a number "one". "At the end of one year."

"Thank you…Yahiko," Tsubame smiled warmly.

" See you next Saturday Tsubame!" Yahiko kicked his bike stand and jumped onto the seat.

"That's a promise Yahiko!" Tsubame called after him. "Don't break your promise!"

"Don't worry Tsubame, it's a promise! And Myojins don't break promises!" Yahiko waved after her, then sped off on his bicycle.

This was the beginning of "The Promise" that Yahiko had to keep. And he would have to work as hard as possible to keep it.

"Hmm…" Yahiko smiled up at the sky as his empty metal basket shined in the sun. "I think I heard that Kenshin was making chocolate for White Day…maybe I should…"

As Yahiko sped off towards the setting sun, he smiled to himself lightly and pedaled down the street, noticing that the rain in the gutters had finally dried up.

* * *

The End of the first chapter! What do you think? Do you like? Please review! I hope you all like the sequel to the story! It's a bit of a different tone, but it'll soon turn into that romantic comedy crap you all love :D

Please, please, please, PLEASE review!

Keep reading! AND REVIEW!


	2. April Kite Flying

Okay! I haven't updated this story in forever due to all the other stories that I've been working on! T.T (cries) I know, it's horrible; I haven't been with my Kenshin chi in a while! Anyway, expect loads of updates soon! If I don't get to Chapter 5 by January 30th, you can hit me with sharp sticks!

(Everyone: secretly hopes that she won't finish so that they can get out their sticks)

HEY! STOP THAT! Anyway, as I was saying before I was so RUDELY interrupted…

Here's Chapter Two of "March Paper Delivery"!

* * *

April Kite Flying

* * *

"So…" Yahiko stood in the doorframe of Tae's apartment the next day, Sanosuke in front of him, decked out in his jacket and holding out a train ticket. "You're having a party in Okayama as an excuse for a drinking binge?"

"SHUT UP!" Sanosuke shouted, knocking Yahiko over the head, making Yahiko grow a considerable bump. "And after I was nice enough to come over here and invite you too!"

"Huh?" Yahiko's ears perked up as he heard the words "invite you too". "You were really going to invite me?"

"Of course, kid!" Sanosuke grinned, handing Yahiko a train ticket. "Jou-chan, the Weasel, Kenshin, Aoshi, and my old buddy Katsu are coming along too! Not to mention the fox."

"Sure, it sounds awesome!" Yahiko flashed Sano a smile and nodded to him. "So when is it?"

"Next Saturday," Sanosuke told him. "I'll be swinging by to pick you up, so don't be late, got that?"

"I won't be late!" Yahiko assured him. "I'm not a little kid!"

"Yeah, whatever," Sano laughed, walking down the hall of apartments and giving Yahiko a small wave. "See you around Yahiko!"

Yahiko didn't return the goodbye, he just stared at his train ticket, happy that he would be out of the apartment for at least a weekend. It wasn't that he disliked Tae or anything, but the apartment was crowded, stuffy, and Tae was almost always busy. He knew that a spontaneous trip to Okayama for a Cherry Blossom Festival would do him some good.

"Huh?" Yahiko's head perked up. "Wait…next Saturday? B-but that means I won't be able to see Tsubame!"

* * *

'She's going to be so mad at me…' Yahiko bit his lip, stuffing clothes into his duffle bag. His mind at been on Tsubame all that week, and that Saturday morning, he wasn't feeling any better about the situation. 'Tae already has someone covering my shift…but…'

"Hey Yahiko!" A resounding pounding came on the door, and Yahiko realized the voice to belong to Sanosuke. "I told you not to be late! Where are you?"

"I'm right here you dumb rooster head!" Yahiko snapped, throwing the door open. "Jeez, I'm ready already."

Megumi (wearing an odd attire of a tight shirt, Capri pants, a bandanna, and sunglasses) was standing behind Sanosuke; obviously he had picked her up before Yahiko. "The others are meeting at my dorm. Katsu should be arriving there soon too."

"Okay, I'm coming, I'm coming," Yahiko sighed, hoisting his bag over his shoulder and following the two through the hall, looking back at the door, still thinking of Tsubame.

'She's probably gonna be really disappointed…'

'She'll understand!'

'Are you joking? I promised her! She'll kill me for sure!'

'Don't be stupid…it'll be fine…'

His mind was racing back and forth all through the drive back to Sanosuke's house. His mouth remained silent; if only the same were true for his mind.

"_Ya-Yahiko!" Yahiko stopped as Tsubame called his name. He turned around to see her smiling at him. "Yahiko…promise…promise me that you'll come to my house last every Saturday so we can talk…okay?"_

"_Tsubame…?"  
_

"_If…if you break your promise…I'll never forgive you…" Tsubame told him, "I…I really need a friend."_

"She's…going to kill me," he whispered, furrowing his brow. Fortunately, neither Sano nor Megumi had picked up what he had said.

"Man, where is he?" Sanosuke asked himself as he opened the door a few minutes later. Katsu had not yet arrived, and Sanosuke was curious to know why. "Katsu's never late. What's going on?"

"I'm going upstairs to use the bathroom," Yahiko announced and Megumi turned around to face him, slowly taking off her sunglasses.

"Are you all right Yahiko?" she asked as Sanosuke stomped around the house, still wondering after Katsu's disappearance. "You seem kind of down."

"Ah-I'm fine Megumi," Yahiko assured her, holding up his hands as if to show his carefree attitude. "The bathroom is upstairs right?"

"You don't know where it is?" Megumi asked, and then quirked an eyebrow in suspense. "Upstairs, to the right. The one with the silver door handle."

"Th-thanks," he nodded, opening the door to the rest of the hall and ascending the stairs. He walked slowly, not wanting to make much noise on the clanging metal stairs. Slowly, he turned the corner onto the next floor to use the communal bathroom. He opened the door, stepped inside and noticed very fast that this wasn't a bathroom. It was a…

"Closet?" Yahiko asked as he stared around at the Janitor's closet he had found himself in. "B-but wait, Megumi said-"

"You _are_ gullible Yahiko." Yahiko jumped a foot as the door opened and shut quickly behind him. He spun around to see Megumi standing over him, staring at him over her sunglasses. "Now tell me what's wrong, now that I've got you cornered."

"It's nothing, really!" Yahiko told her, growing slightly annoyed. "I'm not a kid, I know what I'm doing!"

"Well…" Megumi bit her lip. "It seems that I stand between you and the exit of this closet. So…until you tell me what's wrong, I can't see you getting out of here."

Yahiko looked at Megumi, then at the door, and decided that Megumi was right: there was no chance that he was getting out without her moving. He gave a sigh, knowing defeat, and decided to explain his predicament to Megumi.

"You see," he started. "I promised I'd meet a friend of mine today, but now I can't, and I feel guilty."

"Why didn't you just call them up and tell them?" Megumi asked and Yahiko shook his head.

"I don't have her number…" He knew he had said the wrong thing the minute it came out of his mouth.

"Oh ho!" Megumi's face was plastered with a smirk. "So it's a _girl_ I see!"

"I-I-It's not what you think!" Yahiko assured her, putting up his hands in defense. "She's just a friend!"

"Of course, of course," Megumi gave another fox laugh, then opened the door to the closet. "Well, Yahiko, as I see it, you're in trouble."

"Yeah…I kind of realized that."

"Standing up a girl is a capital offense," Megumi explained to him, a glint in her eye. "And lying to a girl! Let's not get started on that subject, shall we?"

"So…what do I do?"

"You beg on your knees like a dog for forgiveness."

"HUH?"

"What?" Megumi turned around and lowered her sunglasses on her sunblocked nose. "I make Sano do it all the time. Only, of course, I put my heel on his back." Yahiko shivered at _that_ image… "It's the only way to make amends."

"B-b-but…"

"Yo, guys!" Sano called from the bottom on the stairs. "I got bad news!"

"Hmm? Oh, rooster head is calling," Megumi sighed, pushing her sunglasses back up. "Shall we go, Yahiko?"

"I-I guess…" Yahiko mumbled, nodding. Megumi opened the closet for Yahiko, and he walked out with her, trying to think of a way to apologize to Tsubame without having to beg on the ground…

"What's wrong Sanosuke?" Megumi asked as the three settled into Sanosuke's dorm room, Sanosuke looking quite put out.

"Katsu's in America," he said bitterly. "Turns out his cousin in America is sick. He had to go take care of him. So, we got one extra train ticket."

"It's too bad he can't come," Megumi shrugged, sitting down at Sano's card table.

"Yeah, man, we were going to booze all night!"

"SANOSUKE!"

But the gears in Yahiko's brain were turning as Megumi started shouting at Sano and throwing couch pillows at him, follow by his radio when she ran out of pillows. One extra ticket…one extra ticket…

One extra ticket!

The doorbell rang, interrupting Yahiko's train of thought, and Megumi's violent onslaught. Sano, looking as if his Guardian angel had just rung the doorbell, smirked at Megumi and made his way over to the door.

When he opened it, Yahiko saw Aoshi, Misao, Kaoru, and Kenshin behind the door, all with bags and smiling, excluding Aoshi of course. The smiling part, not the bag. Yahiko walked to the door with Sanosuke while Megumi went to the back of the house to grab her purse.

"Hey…" Sanosuke sighed, his mood low again.

"What's wrong?" Kaoru asked him, her eyebrows high.

"Katsu ain't coming," he gave a great sigh, as if reliving his lost booze. "Turned out that his cousin in America got sick and he had to go visit him. We've got one extra ticket."

"It would be a shame to let it go to waste, that it would…" Kenshin frowned.

"Yeah it would," Kaoru nodded. "Hey, where's Megumi?"

"In my dorm," he jerked his head behind him to motion to Megumi. "She just came a few minutes ago like Yahiko!"

"Are we leaving?" Megumi walked out, purse and bag in hand. The gang gave her bright outfit and odd look.

"You look ridiculous," Sano blurted out.

"How dare you!" Megumi gave Sano a few sharp slaps. Yahiko was starting to feel very sorry for Sano... "YOU think I look nice don't you Ken-san?"

"Umm…you look great Megumi-dono," Kenshin laughed nervously and Kaoru gave him a look. Yahiko knew that she was going to full frontal "I'm jealous but not because I like you or anything" mode…

"Oh," she turned her nose upward, "and I suppose I just look drab, don't I?"

"No!" Kenshin quickly covered; he was obviously becoming overwhelmed. "You look wonderful too Kaoru-dono!"

"How do I look Lord Aoshi?" Misao asked with wide eyes. Yahiko rolled his.

"Good," he gruffly mumbled and Misao seemed to have a sort of seizure out of happiness..

"Hey, hey, hey!" Sanosuke shouted, bringing the group out of their odd conversations. He held out the extra ticket to them and pointed to it. "We need to decide who to give this extra ticket to!"

Yahiko was quick to react. He knew how he could make up his absence to Tsubame in a much less painful way then Megumi had suggested.

"I'll take it!" Yahiko's hand shot into the air before anyone else could get a word in. "I know who to give it to."

"Who?" Kaoru asked.

"We'll stop by her house on the way to the train station," Yahiko nodded to the group, his internal smile growing. "I can ask her then. But we'd better leave now if we want to make it on time."

* * *

Yahiko bounded out of the rented van the minute Sanosuke pulled up to Tsubame's house. He didn't even think twice about shutting the door as he sprinted down the sidewalk and up to Tsubame's front door. He gave it a hard knock and waited.

A few moments later, Tsubame came to the door, smiling. "Yahiko! Hello! Isn't it a bit early for the paper, though?"

"Hey, want to come to Okayama for a Cherry Blossom Festival?" Yahiko asked, holding up the ticket. He knew that this way of inviting Tsubame was slightly blunt, but he wasn't very good at being charming when inviting girls.

"A-A festival?" Tsubame asked, surprised.

"I-It's just for the weekened," Yahiko assured her. "We'd be back for school, except for Monday."

"That's all right," Tsubame smiled. "I have Monday off!"

"And we've got lots of adults with us. All of them are my friends. Want to ask your parents?"

"Oh, yes!" Tsubame nodded, smiling. "Thank you so much, Yahiko! I'll be right back!" She turned and then motioned Yahiko into the house. Yahiko stepped inside and waited for Tsubame to come back.

A few minutes passed, and Yahiko heard Tsubame talking to her mother. Yahiko hoped that her mother would let Tsubame go, since she knew Yahiko. A few moments later, Tsubame came back, a woman with brown hair wearing an apron behind her.

"So this is your friend?" she asked, smiling. "You can go Tsubame, but only if you promise to stay close to the adults."

"I promise Momma!" Tsubame nodded. She then turned to Yahiko. "Come on Yahiko! Let's go pack my things!"

"All right," Yahiko smiled widely and followed Tsubame up the carpeted stairs towards her room.

They reached the room, and Yahiko saw that Tsubame's favorite color was obviously pink. Pink and white covered the room, from her pink walls to her pink bedspread. He found it cute. He like feminine girls.

But there wasn't time to admire Tsubame's cute room. She had already gotten out her suitcase and was throwing a few outfits for the weekend into it. Yahiko helped her by arranging them as neatly as he could after she threw them into the case half-hazard. "Thank you so much, Yahiko-kun!" Tsubame smiled sweetly. "I can't wait to go to Okayama with you!" She blushed, then covered her mouth. "Umm…I meant that…that I've wanted to go to Okayama a lot!"

Yahiko blushed too. "Uhh…th-that's good," he responded lamely.

Tsubame finished packing and the two ran down the stairs, Tsubame kissing her mother goodbye and promising to be back Monday night. The two then ran out and jumped into the van where Sano and the others were patiently waiting.

"Thank you for inviting me," smiled Tsubame sweetly. Yahiko knew she was shy. She had met them all last month when they gone to dinner on White Day, but Tsubame was naturally introverted.

"No problem at all," said Sanosuke, grinning in her direction and already starting up the car. "After all, it was Yahiko's idea to give you the ticket."

"Oh really Yahiko?" Tsubame asked and Yahiko blushed furiously. Stupid Sanosuke…why'd he have to bring that up? "Thank you so much!"

"N-n-no problem…" he nodded to her as they group drove off toward the train station.

* * *

After a fiasco of fighting over who would sit next to Kenshin, Tsubame and Yahiko were now situated in their own seats across from Megumi and Kaoru (neither of which had gotten to sit next to Kenshin, by the way). As usual, Megumi and Kaoru had already broken out into an argument.

"I'd rather sit in the engine room than next to a fox like her!" Kaoru huffed to Sano, who had tried to calm them down unsuccessfully. Yahiko sighed; he could sense trouble brewing.

"Then why don't you go sit there Tanuki girl?" Megumi dared her, her eyes darkening.

"Well maybe I will!" Kaoru stuck out her tongue and began to walk down the halls, leaving Yahiko and Tsubame with Megumi, who looked all the more happy to be rid of Kaoru.

"Wait, Kaoru-dono it may be dangerous!" Kenshin ran after her as she stomped down the train. Yahiko watched Kenshin go, and Megumi got up to take his seat next to Sanosuke.

"Stupid Tanuki girl," Megumi sighed. "She thinks throwing a fuss and stomping off will get Ken-san to pay attention to her."

"It seems it worked."

"Oh shut up rooster-head! Who asked you, anyway?"

Yahiko decided to ignore the fighting adults and instead looked over at Tsubame, who was currently writing something on a pad of paper and looking outside. Tsubame quickly realized that Yahiko was staring at her and she turned around, blushing.

"What are you doing?" Yahiko asked, looking at the paper. It had words on it, and next to the words were boxes. Some had been neatly filled in, others were blank.

"I-I'm playing a train game," she told him, blushing slightly. "It's silly, you wouldn't want to know," she tried to close the booklet, but Yahiko stopped her.

"No, tell me! I'm curious," he told her. Tsubame blushed again and nodded.

"Umm…well…I write down things that I might see outside the train and then when I see them, I mark them off on the sheet," she explained, fumbling slightly with the paper.

"Oh!" Yahiko nodded. "Which ones haven't you found yet?"

"Umm…" she looked at the sheet. "A taxi, a potted tree, and a cow."

"Well, we'll be passing over the street soon, so maybe you'll see a taxi," Yahiko smiled, pointing to the bridge they were coming up on. "I'll help you look!"

"O-Okay!" Tsubame smiled as they came up over the street. "Look Yahiko! I don't see a taxi."

"I do!" Yahiko smiled, stretching his arm across her and pointing. "See it?"

Tsubame looked out and indeed saw the taxi cab. She smiled and marked it off on the sheet. "Thanks Yahiko!"

"No problem!" Yahiko grinned. "This is easy!" he bragged.

"Now we need a potted tree and a cow," she told him, smiling.

"Well, we're going underground soon, so I doubt we'll see a potted tree or a cow there," Yahiko frowned.

"Oh…" Tsubame frowned. "I guess we'll just have to wait until we're through the ground…"

Yahiko looked to his left, obviously now bored, to see a woman walking by with her bag and her young daughter. The young daughter had a backpack, and in on of the plastic pockets of the backpack was…

"A potted tree!" Yahiko exclaimed, tugging at Tsubame's sleeve. Tsubame looked over to see a small potted Bonsai Tree in the girl's backpack. "Look!"

"I think it has to be _outside_ the train," Tsubame giggled.

"Ahh, c'mon, bend the rules!" Yahiko suggested, smiling. "We saw a potted tree, didn't we?"

Tsubame smiled at Yahiko, then took her pen and slowly filled in the box next to "potted tree".

* * *

They were still underground about a half an hour later, and no cow had been seen. Yahiko didn't have much else to talk about, so they had remained silent, searching for the cow in the tunnel or on one of the passengers. Misao and Aoshi had gotten up from their seats to get away from the incessant fighting of Sano and Megumi, and Kenshin and Kaoru had yet to return to their seats.

"Yahiko, look!" said Tsubame. Yahiko looked outside to see the tunnel end and daylight strike the windows of the train car. "We're outside again! Let's keep searching for the cow!"

Yahiko looked outside, as did Tsubame, but so far, they had seen no cow. Yahiko looked harder amongst the fields, but still, nothing came up.

"Would you like something to drink?" the children looked up to see a woman with a cart of soda in front of them. Tsubame smiled but Yahiko turned back to the window.

"I'll have a juice, please."

"That'll be 200 yen."

"Oh, one second. Let me just get my money. Sorry for the trouble."

Yahiko wasn't paying attention. He was looking outside. As he stared, he saw a field of grass go by. Tsubame was pulling out her money and giving it to the woman when Yahiko's eyes widened.

"Tsubame! Look, a cow!" He grasped her sleeve just as she was handed the can of juice. "Look! I saw it!"

"Where?" Tsubame looked outside, but they were far past the cow already. "Did we already pass it?"

"Yeah, but I saw it!" Yahiko told her. "It was right there, cross my heart!"

"Hmm…I don't know…" Tsubame wondered. "I think I have to see it…"

"Oh c'mon Tsubame!" Yahiko smiled at her and a pink blush went across her face. "Don't you trust me?"

Tsubame smiled, and then nodded. She took her pen and checked off the word "cow".

* * *

They had arrived in Okayama about an hour later with little delays. Sanosuke had driven them to their hotel in order to check into their hotel room and take full advantage of the Hotel Dinner buffet.

"You'd better not stuff yourself Sanosuke," Yahiko warned Sanosuke as the men piled into their room. The room was relatively plain, with a bathroom and four beds. Sanosuke quickly jumped into the nearest one he saw, while Aoshi took the bed by the window. Kenshin was already putting his things under his bed, and Yahiko made his way over to the last remaining spot to unpack his things.

"Hey squirt, I told you that I wouldn't!" Sanosuke laughed. "Tomorrow's the Cherry Blossom picnic! That's when we're gonna get drunk and be merry, right?"

"That's just like you," Yahiko said.

"Hey, what's that supposed to mean, squirt?" Sanosuke asked, grabbing Yahiko's head and rubbing his knuckles into his scalp.

"Ow! Let go of me stupid rooster-head!" Yahiko shouted, struggling.

"Sanosuke, please be careful with Yahiko!" Kenshin pleaded, looking extremely worried.

"C'mon Kenshin!" Yahiko growled. "I can take care of Sanosuke!" Yahiko then proceeded to give Sanosuke's arm a large bite, making him immediately jump off in pain.

"OW! Hey shrimp, that hurt!"

"I'm hungry," said Aoshi. He walked out of the room and shut the door behind him without another word. Kenshin smiled to his two companions.

"We should go join Aoshi, that we should!" he smiled. Yahiko and Sanosuke smiled.

"Oh yeah!" they cheered. "Food!"

* * *

Sanosuke had ended up not heeding his own advice and had eaten everything in sight. Yahiko himself had helped himself to quite a bit of food. After all, he hardly ever got to eat in a fancy hotel restaurant.

But the meal had ended and the two groups had went their separate ways. The girls had gone to their room, and the men had retreated to their own as well.

"Hey guys!" Sanosuke smirked. "I've got an idea!"

"What's that?" Kenshin asked, smiling.

"Well…" Sanosuke said, taking off his shirt, leaving him in only his pajama pants. Aoshi had already changed into his black pants, Yahiko into a long shirt and sweat pants, and Kenshin in magenta pajamas. "How about we play a game before bed?"

"Like Monopoly?" Kenshin asked.

"Nah," Sanosuke laughed. "Truth or Dare!"

"Oh c'mon," Yahiko drawled. "That's for kids."

"Well, you're a kid, aren't you?" Sanosuke growled.

"I am _not_ a kid!"

"What kind of truth or dare Sano?" Kenshin asked, curious.

"The only kind! Random and cruel!" Sanosuke cheered, pulling a glass bottle from his bag. He put it on the carpet and sat down in front of it. "Sit down gentlemen! The game's about to start!"

"I have no wish to participate," Aoshi said curtly.

"Whatever," Sanosuke shrugged. "You're participating whether you like it or not, got that Mr. Shinomori?"

"I'd like to see you try…"

"ARRGH! What was that, you stuck up--!"

"Now, Sano," Kenshin laughed, restraining his friend. "Let's just play the game and Aoshi can participate when he likes."

"Fine, fine," Sanosuke sighed, sitting down in front of the bottle. The other two did the same, sitting on other ends of the bottle. Aoshi remained in his bed, reading a book. "The rules are simple! We spin the bottle and whoever it lands on has to pick truth or dare! You _have_ to tell the truth and you _have_ to do the dare if you get called on!"

"That seems simple, that it does," Kenshin nodded. "Will you start, Sano?"

"You got it!" Sanosuke nodded, spinning the bottle. It spun around and around until it finally landed on Kenshin. "Woohoo! Kenshin's the first victim!"

"Truth," Kenshin smiled.

"Oh Kenshin, don't be a chicken!" Sano laughed. "Anyway…tell me. Do you ever have sex fantasies about Jou-chan?"

"SANO!" Kenshin shouted, turning very red. "NO! Of course not!"

"That's perverted!" Yahiko snapped, also red in the face. Aoshi didn't say anything, but buried his face closer in his book.

"Hey, hey, I was just wondering!" Sano laughed. "Spin the bottle Kenshin!"

Kenshin did as Sano told him, and the bottle spun and spun until it landed on Sanosuke. "Dare me Kenshin! I'm so ready!"

"A dare?" Kenshin asked, thinking. "Hmm…"

"Oh c'mon!" Yahiko sighed. "Kenshin's never going to think of anything good! Let me! I dare you to make out with Aoshi's neck!"

"WHAT?"

"WHAT?"

Aoshi had dropped his book and looked completely mortified. Sanosuke had dropped his jaw and looked completely mortified. "Oh c'mon," Yahiko laughed. "You have to do it!"

Sanosuke looked at Aoshi, and Aoshi looked at Sanosuke. "You step one step closer and I'll kill you…" Aoshi threatened.

"Hey look!" Kenshin said, wiping his brow from the nerves of the entire setting. "A letter!"

The group looked down to see a letter that had "Sanosuke" written on it. Sanosuke, glad to be off the subject of the dare, went over and opened the letter.

"Hey guys! Listen to this:

_Dear Mr. Sagara,_

_This letter is from a secret admirer. I saw you today at dinner_

_And I must say I've fallen in love with your unkempt hair, jolly no_

_Care attitude and huge stomach. You'll never know who I am but_

_I just wanted to make my feelings known._

_Signed,_

_Your Secret Admirer._

Can you believe that?" Sanosuke asked. "I've got girls all over me in this hotel! Wait till I tell Megumi!"

Yahiko looked at the letter in Sanosuke's hand and sighed. It was obviously Megumi's handwriting. After being her paper boy for almost a year, he knew what her hand looked like. This was obviously a prank she was playing on Sanosuke. Hey…maybe…

"What do you think the girls are up to?" Yahiko asked.

"Who cares?" Sanosuke asked, tucking the letter into his pajama pants. "My turn to spin!"

"Hey! You didn't do the dare!" Yahiko said.

"Well duh," Sanosuke looked at Yahiko. "This fic is rated K+. Something like that would ruin its image."

"I guess you've got a point," Yahiko shrugged. "Just spin the bottle!" Sanosuke wasted no time in giving the bottle another sharp spin. This time, it spun and spun until it finally rested on the empty spot where Aoshi would have sat.

"Your turn Aoshi!" Sanosuke grinned.

"After that disturbing experience, you're crazy if you think I'd actually participate in this event." Aoshi looked at Sanosuke. "This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever seen, in truth."

"Truth! Okay!" Sanosuke smirked. Aoshi looked at him with rage seething in his eyes. "Tell me, have you ever kissed anyone?"

Aoshi paused, and a pink blush came across his cheeks. "No."

"BWAHAHA! Aoshi's a lip virgin at age twenty four!" Sanosuke laughed, punching the ground out of laughter. "I knew it! You're such a dork!"

"Spin the damn bottle before I come over there and force your head into it," Aoshi snarled, returning to his book.

Sanosuke spun the bottle, and it once again landed on Kenshin. "Kenshin, truth or dare?"

"I think I'll stick with truth, that I will Sano," Kenshin laughed.

"Man, such a wuss. Okay…have you ever wanted to grab Jou-chan's boobs?"

"SANO! NO!"

"That's the same as the LAST question Sanosuke!" Yahiko snapped, also very red in the face.

Suddenly, the group heard a knock at the door. They all looked at each other, and Sanosuke got up to answer the door.

"Hey Jou-chan! What's going on?" Yahiko peered behind Sanosuke to see a very red looking Kaoru at the door.

"C-C-C-Can I talk to K-K-Kenshin?" she asked, shaking.

"Hey Kenshin, Jou-chan wants to talk to you!"

Kenshin walked up to Kaoru and smiled. "Yes Kaoru-dono?" he asked. Kaoru stood, frozen to the spot. She leaned forward and…

"Can I borrow your toothpaste?"

"WHAT?"

Yahiko heard a shout that was quickly stifled and his eyebrow raised. "Who was that?" he whispered. Kenshin had already given Kaoru his toothpaste and she had already left. Yahiko watched her go, a nagging thought on his mind. "Something's funny."

"Kenshin get back in here!" Sanosuke called. "It's your turn to spin the bottle!"

Kenshin returned to the game and quickly spun the bottle. Yahiko had no more time to see what the girls were up to as the bottle landed on him. "Uhh…dare!" he said, knowing that Kenshin wouldn't be able to come up with anything good.

"Aha!" Sanosuke grinned. "Payback's a bitch! I dare you to go into the girls' room and sing to Tsubame!"

"Sing?" Yahiko asked, his eyes wide. "B-but I don't know any songs!"

"Oh c'mon! Just sing the first thing that comes to your mind!" Sanosuke said, pushing Yahiko out the door and into the hallway. He then slammed the door and Yahiko sighed and went up to the girl's room.

He knocked on the door and Tsubame answered the door. He looked in to see Misao hiding something behind her back, Kaoru in bed, and Megumi looking very flustered.

"What's wrong Yahiko?" Tsubame asked, smiling.

Yahiko gulped, and then began. "Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are, way up in the world so high," the girls were staring at Yahiko as he rushed through the lyrics of the song. Tsubame was smiling, "like a diamond in the sky." He finished quickly and Tsubame clapped.

"That was great Yahiko! B-but…why are you singing?" she asked, confused. Yahiko didn't say anything. He simply turned on his heel and walked back into the guy's room, slamming the door behind him.

"What was that about?" Kaoru asked.

"Oh who cares?" Misao laughed, pulling out a large bottle from behind her back and putting it in the middle of the carpet. "It's my turn to spin the bottle!"

* * *

The next day, the group had arrived at their picnic spot under a large Cherry Blossom tree for a nice lunch. Unfortunately, Sanosuke had already broken out the sake.

"Ya know Sanosuke," Kaoru's eyes narrowed. "We have two minors here."

"Hey!" declared Yahiko. "I am NOT minor! Watch this! This jug is no problem whatsoever!" he quickly took his jug and chugged the entire thing. "Ha!" he smiled and walked around drunk. "See, noth problemth at all!" With that, he fell over, spitting foam and eyes swirly.

"YAHIKO!" Kaoru scolded him, but he was already unconscious.

"You can have mine," Tsubame passed the jug to Sanosuke and he gladly accepted it.

Tsubame looked over at the drunk Yahiko as Megumi and Kaoru began to fight over who would pour Kenshin his sake. She tried to slap his face lightly, but he remained rather unconscious.

"Oh, Yahiko," Tsubame sighed.

"KENSHIN!" Sanosuke hiccupped."I CHALLENGE YOU TO A DRINKING CONTEST!"

"Um…Sano that may be a bad idea…" Kenshin laughed nervously."After all I'm driving us home aren't I?"

"Ahh Tsubame can drive!" Sanosuke smiled and gave Tsubame a pat on the back, "She's what…seventeen?"

"She's eleven you drunk moron!" Megumi hit him on the head.

"Huh?" Yahiko woke up, eyes still swirly, not really knowing what was going on around him "What did I miss?"

"Yahiko look!" Tsubame pointed to some people flying kites. "Oh that looks like so much fun! I wish I had a kite!" she noticed a vendor selling kites but her eyes looked down. "Too bad I don't have any money."

Yahiko felt in his pants and jingled some money. "Come with me," he smiled and led her toward the stand, now completely sober.

The two ran over to the Kite stand and Yahiko took out his money. "One kite, please. For her," he pointed to Tsubame and the man smiled.

"How about pink?" he asked, pulling out a pink kite. Tsubame smiled and nodded. Yahiko took the kite and paid the man for it.

"Come on!" he smiled. "Let's go fly it!"

Yahiko and Tsubame ran over to the group flying kites and Yahiko handed Tsubame the pink kite. Tsubame blushed as Yahiko put the string in her hand. "Okay! Now, just throw the kite into the air!"

Tsubame nodded, bit her lip, and threw the kite towards the sky. It caught a bit of wind, but fell back down almost immediately. Yahiko sighed and picked up the kite. "Give it more string," he instructed her and showed her by letting out more from the ball of string in her hand. "See?"

"Okay…" Tsubame said shyly. She threw the kite into the air again, and this time it caught the wind and began to fly.

"That's it Tsubame!" Yahiko laughed. "Let it out more! It'll go higher!"

Tsubame did as she was told, letting more string out. The kite soared through the sky, the wind taking it off. Tsubame felt herself being tugged along. "Aah! Yahiko!"

"Run with it, Tsubame!" Yahiko laughed, running after the kite. Tsubame followed him, the kite leading them along. "Just run with it, you know?"

Tsubame didn't say anything. She just smiled and watch the kite fly farther up into the air.

* * *

The next night, after a small kimono exhibition put on by the girls, the gang was now at the annual Okayama Cherry Blossom festival.

Yahiko and Tsubame had broken off from the group in order to get some Tayoyaki at a local vendor. Yahiko had barely enough money left, but had been able to buy both he and Tsubame some of the octopus snacks. "I'm really trespassing on your kindness, aren't I?"

"Oh, that's not true at all!" Yahiko assured her, putting his hands up. "I'm glad to treat you. This is loads of fun."

"Yes!" Tsubame smiled, nodding her head. "I've had a lot of fun on this trip Yahiko. It feels good to get out once in awhile."

"That's true," Yahiko nodded. "I'm just glad you didn't get mad at me for almost breaking our promise."

"Hmm?" Tsubame asked.

"Oh, it's nothing, really," Yahiko laughed. "I just came really close to breaking our promise to each other."

"That's okay," Tsubame smiled. "You came and saw me, didn't you? You didn't break our promise."

"I guess you're right," Yahiko nodded.

"Even if you did Yahiko…if I knew that you really _wanted_ to be there, I wouldn't be upset," Tsubame smiled, and Yahiko looked at her, a blush covering his face. "It would make me happy to know you cared."

"Well, I'm happy that our promise means a lot to you…" Yahiko murmured. "That makes me happy."

Tsubame smiled at Yahiko, and Yahiko returned the smile. He looked down at her hand, and made a move to touch it when Tsubame gasped.

"Look!" she smiled, pointing to the sky. Yahiko looked up and gasped as a shower of shooting stars covered the sky. "It's so pretty!"

"Let's go watch!" Yahiko told her. With a defiant movement, he grasped her hand led her through the festival towards a hill.

"_I'm never breaking our promise to Tsubame!" _Yahiko thought as he ran along towards the top of the hill. _"Never in a million years!"

* * *

_

Finally! I finished! I think I'm going to cry! That was so much typing! Merry Christmas everyone! And a happy new year!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


	3. May Entrance Exams

Hey guys! Here's Chapter 3 of "March Paper Delivery"! I hope you'll all enjoy it! This is one of my very, very favorite chapters!

I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last update. I know it's been much too long since I updated the story, but I'm really happy to be back with it.

Anyway, enough of my ramblings! Let's get on with the story!

* * *

May Entrance Exams

* * *

"Summer's almost here!" Yahiko grinned as he rode his bike home from school. It was a warm day in the middle of May, and Yahiko was more then happy that summer vacation was less then a month away. "I can't wait until I can do nothing except sit on the couch and watch TV!"

"Hey Yahiko!"

Yahiko looked up to see none other then Kaoru and Misao walking down the sidewalk, both carrying books. Kaoru's nose was dug into hers, but Misao was busier with her ice cream cone. "Yahiko, school just got out?" Misao asked, smiling.

"Uh huh," Yahiko nodded, grinning. "What are you doing here Misao?"

"I told Kaoru we should go out for ice cream," Misao told Yahiko. "But Kaoru's all stressed about finals coming up. So we took our books."

"Finals?" Yahiko asked. "Good thing my school doesn't have those!"

"Yeah, you damn elementary schoolers don't have final exams!" Misao growled. "Gaah! It makes me wanna scream, you know that?"

"Heh, sorry Misao!" Yahiko stuck out his tongue. "It's good to be young!"

"ARE YOU IMPLYING THAT I'M OLD?" Misao and Yahiko were no entangled in a fight, and Kaoru was forced to come out of her book.

"Misao! Yahiko! Stop fighting!" she said, grabbing Misao away from Yahiko. "You'll only hurt yourselves in the gutter."

"I'm not a kid anymore, Kaoru," Yahiko growled. "Don't talk about me like I'm a little boy. The weasel girl is a different story though."

"GAAHH! I'M GOING TO GET YOU!"

"Yahiko, be nicer to girls!" Kaoru scolded him, growling herself. "And don't bother me either! I'm studying!"

"Like I said," Yahiko laughed. "Sucks to be you!"

"Don't you have tests coming up too Yahiko?" Kaoru asked. Yahiko looked at her with a confused expression.

"Uhh…no. It's almost summer."

"What about Middle School entrance exams?" Yahiko gulped. He had completely forgotten about those. Kaoru smirked. "Aha! So you do have tests to study for!"

"Oh please," Yahiko scoffed. "I'll just wing it or something."

"Yahiko! Those entrance exams are serious!" Kaoru remarked. "You really have to buckle down and study!"

"What's your first choice, Yahiko?" Misao asked. Yahiko stuck his finger in his ear.

"Uhh…I haven't thought about it Academy."

"This is no time for jokes!" Kaoru frowned. "You haven't picked a school you want to apply to?"

"Why should I?" Yahiko asked. "I'll just go wherever they take me. It's no big deal, right?"

* * *

"Yahiko Myojin, this is a BIG deal!"

"Uh oh…" Yahiko was sitting across the dinner table from Tae, who was currently doing her best not to ruin her glass with her forceful grip.

"You've got to pick a school to apply to right away!" Tae told him. "Entrance Exams are coming up in just a few weeks!"

"Today's Friday…" Yahiko whined. "Can't I have a little peace and quiet? I don't need you nagging me."

"YAHIKO!"

"Uhh…yes ma'am!" Yahiko gulped. "I'll pick a school soon, I promise!"

"Good," Tae smiled. "And while you're thinking, you can march right up to your room and start studying for those exams!"

"Man!" Yahiko sighed, looking very put out by Tae's demand. He didn't bother to clear his plate as he ran up the stairs to go and sulk. "Tae's such a slave driver! She knows I hate studying!"

Yahiko sighed. "I'm going to have to think of a school pretty fast…"

* * *

It was the next day, and Yahiko still hadn't thought of any school he wanted to apply to. His brainstorming had gone about as well as his studying, which consisted of him playing video games and then turning off the TV and rushing to his desk when Tae came to check up on him. He had learned little that would help him for the entrance exams.

"This sucks," Yahiko remarked, frowning. "Oh well…" It was Saturday, and Yahiko was on his daily paper route. He had delivered all of his papers except for Tsubame's, and he was now heading out towards her house with a smile on his face. "At least I get to see Tsubame!"

A few minutes later, Yahiko pulled up in front of Tsubame's house and walked over to the door. He rang the doorbell, and a few moments later, Tsubame opened the door, a wide smile on her face. "Hello there Yahiko."

"Hey Tsubame," Yahiko smiled as well and sat on the stoop. Tsubame followed him and sat next to him. "So what's going on with you?"

"Oh, I was just studying," Tsubame smiled and Yahiko grimaced.

'_Ugh…studying…'_ he thought to himself. "For entrance exams?" he asked her and she nodded.

"Yes. The school I'm trying for is very competitive, so I have to study extra hard in order to get in," she told him.

"Is it an all girls school?" Yahiko asked and Tsubame shook her head.

"It's a co-ed school. It's public, but it's still competitive when it comes to admission."

"Which school is it?" Yahiko asked.

"Oikawa Middle School," she told him. Yahiko's eyes widened and a little light bulb went off in his head. "Where are you applying, Yahiko?"

"O-Oikawa too!" he told her. "What a coincidence, right?"

"That's great Yahiko!" Tsubame gave a wide smile. "We might be going to same school! Wouldn't that be great?"

"Yeah!" Yahiko nodded. "Umm…I forgot. When are their entrance exams?"

"Two weeks from today," Tsubame told him. "The last Saturday in May."

"Oh…good thing I already started studying!" laughed Yahiko nervously. "That isn't a long time, is it?"

"I've got an idea Yahiko!" Tsubame smiled. "Let's study together! Next Saturday. That is…uhh…i-if you want to…" Tsubame said shyly.

"Oh, I'd love to!" Yahiko told her, smiling. "That would be great Tsubame. It would really help."

"Okay," Tsubame smiled. "Then next Saturday, we'll study together for the entrance exam?"

Yahiko nodded to Tsubame and gave her a wide smile. "It's a promise!"

* * *

"How are you doing Yahiko?"

"Umm…fine!"

Next Saturday, after delivering papers, Yahiko had stayed over at Tsubame's house to study in her living room. However, Yahiko found it hard to concentrate on the material in front of him when Tsubame was sitting across from him.

"How about we quiz each other Yahiko?" Tsubame offered and Yahiko looked up.

"Uhh…sure!"

"I've got these questions from the last entrance exam," she said, pulling out a box of flashcards. "We'll take turns asking each other questions, okay?"

"All right," Yahiko said, nodding. "Go ahead."

"Convert the following mixed number into an improper fraction," Tsubame read. "It's 2 ¾ Yahiko."

"Uhh…" Yahiko froze up. "Umm…that's when you add all the numbers right?"

"Not really," Tsubame shook her head. "You multiply the denominator by the whole number and then add the numerator."

"What are those again?" Yahiko asked. Tsubame pushed forward the card and explained.

"The two is the whole number," she told him. "The three is the numerator, and the four is the denominator. You keep the denominator when finding an improper fraction."

"What's an improper fraction again?"

Tsubame smiled. "It's when the numerator is higher then the denominator. Fractions are, by definition, pieces of whole numbers, so it doesn't make sense that the numerator is higher then the denominator. That's what mixed numbers are for."

"Oh!" Yahiko nodded. "I get it! It's like a circle, right? So that means that the answer should be… 11 over 4?"

"That's right!" Tsubame nodded, smiling widely. "You did Yahiko! Okay, ask me a question."

Yahiko pulled out a card from the box and read it. "It's Japanese History. Name acitythat was the target of a nuclear missile launched by the Americans during the end of World War II."

"Hiroshima," Tsubame smiled. "That's an easy question."

"Even _I_ knew that," Yahiko laughed. "Your turn."

* * *

After the quiz session, Yahiko had gotten a total of two right, including Tsubame's question about Hiroshima. "Don't worry Yahiko," Tsubame assured him. "I'm sure you'll do great on the exam! I mean, you know lots of new stuff now!"

"I'm not sure, Tsubame," Yahiko sighed. "I hope I pass."

"You'll pass for sure, Yahiko!" Tsubame told him. "We're going to the same school, so don't you worry, okay?"

"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Yahiko sighed, shaking his head and getting up. "I'll finish studying at home. See you next Saturday, Tsubame."

"Goodbye Yahiko," Tsubame said, standing up as well. "Hey…don't get upset, okay? You'll do great, I can feel it!"

Yahiko looked over at Tsubame and smiled. "Thanks Tsubame. That's really nice of you."

"Goodbye Yahiko!" Tsubame called as Yahiko walked out the door. "I'll see you on Saturday!"

* * *

That Saturday, Yahiko had shown up at the testing center, said hello to Tsubame, and had made his way to his classroom as quickly as possible. "Man…what am I even doing here?" he asked himself, looking around at all of the other students in the classroom. "This school is so competitive, no way I could get in."

"_Hey…don't get upset, okay? You'll do great, I can feel it!"_

"But I at least have to try!" Yahiko told himself, sitting up in his desk and taking out a pencil. "Yeah! This test is going down! I, Yahiko Myojin, will make sure that I come out on top when it comes to this stupid test!"

* * *

"I totally failed…" Yahiko muttered to Tsubame as he came out of his classroom. Tsubame had come out of hers a few minutes before and was waiting for her. "Those questions were super hard! I barely got any of them!"

"They're going to announce the results of the test tomorrow," Tsubame told Yahiko.

"Fine," Yahiko sighed. "I'll walk you home."

The two of them walked down the sidewalk slowly as the sun began to set behind them. The test had taken longer then Yahiko had expected, and the pink sunset was already spilling over the terrain around them.

"Yahiko!" Tsubame piped up and Yahiko stopped to look at her. "I-I just wanted to say…that…that's it okay if you don't get in."

"Huh?" Yahiko looked at Tsubame with a confused expression on his face.

"I won't think any less of you Yahiko," Tsubame told him earnestly. "You're a great friend, and a wonderful person. It doesn't matter what school you get into!"

"Tsubame…"

"I just thought it would be fun if we went to the same school…" Tsubame told him. "But…but now I see that all I was doing was forcing my own wants on you. I pressured you and made you upset." Tsubame bowed to Yahiko. "I'm so sorry. Please forgive me."

"Tsubame, it's not like that," Yahiko assured her. "I-I…I just wanted to go to Oikawa so we could go to the same school."

"Huh?" Tsubame looked up, and Yahiko sighed.

"The truth is, I had never even heard of Oikawa Middle School before you mentioned it," Yahiko said. "I was selfish and I lied to you. Sorry."

Tsubame looked a little surprised, but then smiled and took Yahiko's arm in hers. "That's all right Yahiko. I forgive you."

"And I forgive you," Yahiko smiled at her. "Hey, you never know! We might've BOTH failed!"

"Yahiko!"

"Ha ha! Just kidding!"

"Oh! You're so mean!"

* * *

"Okay, Yahiko," Tsubame closed her eyes, grabbing her slip. Yahiko also had his exam slip in his hand. He glanced at the number "112". "On the count of three we'll look at the board." In front of the two children was a large board that listed all of the accepted applicants by exam number. Yahiko saw a large label that said "100-150", but didn't dare look down the list. "One…two…" Tsubame gulped, grasping her slip. "Three!"

Yahiko looked up and started to head down the list of accepted applicants. _'101…103…104…108…110…111…'_ Yahiko gulped, closed his eyes, opened them and looked straight under.

"One hundred and twelve!" he shouted, jumping up and down and pointing. "I made it! I made it!"

"I did too!" Tsubame gasped, pointing to the number "43" on the board. "I made it too Yahiko! I told you that you would make it in!"

"It must be a mistake!" Yahiko exclaimed. "I failed that test for sure!"

"Oh Yahiko!" Tsubame laughed, hugging Yahiko, making him blush. "This is great! We're both going to the same school now!"

"This is awesome!" Yahiko announced, grasping his slip tightly in his hand. "No more studying!"

"Yahiko!"

"_What_?"

"C'mon!" Tsubame laughed, grabbing Yahiko's hand and leading him off. "Let's go and celebrate!"

"Right!" Yahiko nodded, running along with Tsubame. "Ice cream on me! Let's go Tsubame!"

With that, the two ran off through the crowd, Tsubame smiling warmly at Yahiko. Yahiko, on the other hand, had a huge grin on his face and couldn't keep laughing as she ran along. Finally, as they reached a speed bump in the parking lot, Yahiko leapt up into the air and shouted to whoever would listen. "Ha! Eat that world! Here I come!"

* * *

The end of the chapter! Short, I know, but I'm on a schedule and I've still got loads to write. (cries buckets of tears.) Anyway, please review!

Until then,

Ciao for now!


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